Take Them
by salllzy
Summary: They were a family, they had never let anyone in. But one mistake, one accident changes everything and begins to change all of China, they didn't know it was possible, they didn't think that it could be. But yet it happens.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note- This is co-written between me, ****DarkDragonessFliesEveryWhere and Rasean, This will contain OCs, slash, Yuri and heterosexual relationships. There is also blood, gore, death, injuries and other things that will be mentioned. **

**This is Dynasty Warriors not some romance novel, yes there will be romance but most of it is fighting. Ancient China was not a nice place, if you have played the games or even done your research then you will know this. If you choose to ignore everything that has been posted in the authors note then it is not our fault it is YOURS for not reading it. **

**This is Dedicated to ****AncientHeartlessKai, who inspired me to do this, not only has she brought us all joy with her story Legend of Lijuan Ai she is also a very dear friend going through a rough patch. So this is for you and i hope it cheers you up. **

**Disclaimer- Don't own Dynasty warriors nor is any money made off this story. **

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5 Years before the Yellow turban rebellion.

The sun was shining, birds were tweeting. It was a peaceful day for the group that was laying on the grass next to a lake where they had decided to stop and bathe. It had been several weeks since they had managed to find somewhere safe to bathe, normally places such as lakes and waterfalls would be crawling with bandits looking to rob innocent people who had been unlucky enough to choose their hiding place, still the crystal blue water was a welcome sight as they all stripped off and dived into the lake. The group consisted of three men and two women and each varied in size, height, and weight:The tallest of them, standing a 6 ft 7, was Si Da. He had lost an eye many years ago saving their little sister Si An it had been a loss yes but one that he would do again if he had to. His long grey hair that was normally tied in a high ponytail was loose and flowing all around him like melted silver, a small smile played on his lips as he heard his siblings fighting.

"Di! I am telling you!"

A booming laugh was heard as Shi Di walked back to the clearing with their sister, Si Va thrown over his shoulder her naked arse was in the air, a giant red hand print was blossoming on her arse off where Di had playfully smacked her backside. Di walked to where Da was laying on the grass soaking up the sun, it was rare that they got to relax still Va was struggling her long blonde hair was going everywhere, it was stuck to her forehead and face she kept trying to break free from Di's grip but she couldn't not only was he physically stronger than her he was taller than her as well, Di tightened his grip so she wouldn't fall as Va kept trying to break free from her brother's grasp.

"Keep struggling Va and I might end up dropping you."

Va stopped struggling as Di continued to carry her to where Da was laid, he wasted no time in dumping her on him. Da didn't even grunt as Va was dropped on him to him she was light as a feather, which she may as well have been with Da's height at 6 ft 7 and his weight Va was both fragile and light, sometimes Da didn't play fight with them incase he did end up hurting her or Shi. An, Di could handle him, as the two of them were near his height and Di had a lot more muscle mass than Da did, An may have been tall standing at 6 ft 5 like Di but she was nimble, agile and quick on her feet and could easily knock him onto his arse before he had even swung his crescent blade or pando once. Si An looked at them and shook her head, sometimes they could be the fearsome warriors that everyone knew they were and other times?

They were like children, picking on each other and prodding each other with sticks, still they were her family and she wouldn't change them for the world.

"Has anyone seen Lee Shi?"

They all looked at each other, none of them had seen him since he had said he was going painting, when he did that they left him alone. Mainly because he wanted to be alone, still it wasn't like him to be gone this long, normally he would be back by now a smile on his face.

That was when the heard it, the sound of metal hitting metal, as one they rose and ran towards the sound. Lee Shi was the only one out of them that used a Flail properly and, while it wasn't his weapon of choice, Shi's flail was deadly. His weapon of choice was a set of masterfully crafted claws, but he knew enough about flails to teach Va, who was interested in using one, enough to be dangerous. When Shi wielded a flail not only did it hurt like hell to be hit with the metal ball at the end of it, but depending on how hard Shi swung it, it could smash someone's skull in with very little effort. And the spikes?

When they dug into your skin and peeled it off like a knife peels an apple skin it made people scream. The spikes could pop a humans skin as easily as a human could pop a grape. In the pain, some people were even stupid enough to try and stop the skin from being ripped off their bodies by grabbing hold of the deadly weapon. But they always make the mistake of grabbing hold of the spikes that littered the chain, tearing their hands open as their skin was peeled from muscles and muscles shredded from bone and bone exposed to the air, white and gleaming as red, red blood fell to the ground and pooled below them, feeding the ground. And that sound, the metal against metal that screeched and hung in the air, was definitely the sound of Shi's flail as he fought.

They hadn't even gotten dressed as they grabbed their weapons and ran for Shi. As she saw the first bandit, An didn't even think about anything as she notched her first arrow into her bow and fired it, she was working on instinct and the pounding feeling in her chest that told her to protect her family at all costs. A bandit went down as the arrow pierced his eye socket and went straight through his brain, killing him immediately. Blood pooled under his head as he hit the ground with an unheard thud. An hadn't even waited to see him drop, confident in her aim, and instead focused on a new target.

Da swung his pando and sliced the arm off a nearby bandit before he even had time to move, the man screamed and grabbed the stump of his arm. They always seemed so shocked to lose a limb and after that Da had no troubles killing his opponent. Da didn't even think twice about swinging the giant sword a second time a decapitating him, his head was propelled into the air and landed a few meters away from them, blood squirted from his neck as the body fell down with a thud. Covered in blood, a fierce and savage smile pulled up the corners of Da's lips and he turned to find his next victim.

Va charged at the nearest bandit her pando in both hands, she swung it but missed. The bandit had managed to roll out of the way last second, she swung the giant blade above her head before slamming it down into the ground. Using the momentum she propelled herself forwards and hit him in the side of the head with her staff smashing his skull in, she landed and rolled out of the way of an incoming attack. Spinning she turned with a feral light in her eyes and swung out again with her pando, this time the blade found its him in flesh and sliced the man in front of her nearly in half before the blade stuck in the man's spine. Not having enough time to pull the blade out of the dead body, Va instead gripped her staff harder and jumped back into the fray.

Di ran forwards both of his twin swords ready for battle and to bathe in the blood of their enemies, he rolled to the side and kicked his legs out tripping the bandits up. He slammed his sword down into a leg, making sure the man couldn't move before slamming the other one right through his heart. He pulled both swords free and flicked the excess blood off before joining his family in the thick of the fighting. He could feel his blood pumping in his veins and the thrill of battle lending him almost frantic energy even as his naked body was coated in sprays of blood from the men he killed.

Before they had chance to finish the battle, an arrow that they didn't know came flying out of the bushes and killed the last bandit, however that didn't put them at ease. They now had an unknown enemy to deal with, they could be friendly but they were not willing to take the risk that they weren't.

Suddenly a group of men came out from behind the trees and they all tensed preparing for an attack. Shi was kneeling on the ground panting so they formed a protective semi circle around him, making sure that he could still attack while being protected at the same time. Both groups looked at each other sizing each other up, and the siblings try to see if they could fight and still get away with their lives. They didn't mind running away if it meant living another day but with so many attackers and a potentially injured Shi the likelihood of them making a successful flight was very low. Out of all the possible actions for the other groups to talk the one none of the siblings had thought of was for one of the men in front of them to start clapping, it was slow and measured his dark eyes were staring at them intently as he tried to figure them out.

"It looks like your friend needs a physician." He stated as he slowed his hand and stopped clapping.

"Brother."

The correction came straight away, no hesitation, no pause, it was like they had corrected him without thinking about it.

"Pardon?"

An bit her lip as she looked at them, if she was attracted to men she would have found them very handsome to look at, but she wasn't. She could see the appeal of them, with their dark eyes, strong jaws, high cheekbones, thick jet black hair, she would also bet underneath that clothing they had plenty of muscle, enough to make most women blush and become drooling idiots, but they were not her type, she liked women and she liked her women beautiful, dangerous and deadly. Still Shi was their brother and not their friend which had been why they had corrected him to begin with, An looked at him and spoke. "Shi, is our brother not friend."

Shi coughed and fell forwards a little, Di and Da both broke their places in the formation and rushed to his side, Va and An both held their ground. They didn't want the unknowns near their family, they trusted both Da and Di to look after Shi, the two brothers looked over Shi he had several large cuts to his chest and was bleeding heavily.

"If you wait any longer he will die."

Va and An gripped their weapons tighter, they knew that. But they weren't about to put their trust in a group of strangers. The world was a dangerous place and simply handing their injured brother over to strangers went against everything they believed in about family and loyalty. Da and Di looked at each other one lone green eye bored into two pink cat eyes, they didn't have a choice. Not now, not with Shi's life on the line. Their suspicion was not unfounded but if the said no and Shi died none of the siblings would be able to forgive themselves. This was the only way.

"Very well."

Va and An looked at Di who had spoken shocked at the choice before their eyes took in the extent of Shi's injuries and they had to grudgingly admit that this was the only way for Shi to survive. Va and An lowered their weapons as Da quickly picked up Shi bridal style and made sure that he was secure against his chest, his muscular arms forming a protective cocoon around him, but Va and An were still tense and ready to act on a moment's notice, just incase. Da looked at the man who has been the only one from the other group to speak and asked: "Where to?"

His voice was deep and rumbling, it often reminded people of a thunder storm. If they were shocked by how deep and rough his voice sounded they didn't show it, one of them stepped forwards he had a bow in his hands and he gestured for Da to follow him.

"This way."

Da moved very quickly for a man of his size and stature, one of his strides was four to the other man's Di, Va and An stifled their laughter as they watched the other man run to catch up with their brother, while it was a funny sight to see they were also worried, very much so. They looked at the three men that they had been left with, should they need to fight then they would. But if a fight was what they wanted why did the offer help for Shi, why offer to do anything? They wanted something from them, that much they did know but they had no idea what it was.

"Thank you."

An and Va both looked at Di, he was very rarely grateful for anything. It wasn't that he was ungrateful, he was suspicious of people. Most people didn't do anything for free, they nearly always wanted something from them, kill bandits, free trapped workers form a mine, help work the fields. It was tiresome and tedious, sometimes a change was nice but they had learned long ago that they couldn't rely on anyone but each other. It had been a lesson that they had learned early on in life, so for Di to thank someone?

They didn't know how lucky they were, they didn't know what it was like for Di to thank someone. If they had their way then they never would, the two sisters knew that they could be over zealous, childish, spiteful and nasty. They had accepted their faults a long time ago, but their good outweighed their flaws. Still they were now at a stand still, neither group was willing to move one man was covered head to toe in armor, if they had to fight he would be difficult to take down. But all armor had a weakness, if they could find it then they would be able to exploit it.

However what they were worried about was the man darkly glaring at them, he had his hand on the hilt of his pando. They knew the damage the weapon could do, they had seen it first hand Va and Da wielded the weapon. They waited, it was a waiting game to see what would happen next, to see if they would need to fight or flee, but they they wouldn't flee not with Shi, being the way that he was. They would have to trust them, something that was foreign to all of them yes they trusted each other but never anyone outside of their group, it had never been done before yet here they were having to trust a group of strangers to look after their brother.

The man with the pando shifted, their grips on their weapons tightened for a few seconds until a voice snapped.

"Xiahou Dun!"

Dun removed his hand from the hilt of the pando but was still glaring darkly at them, they didn't know why or what they had done wrong, but still.

"Put some clothes on!"

The didn't even jump or blink at the barked command, Dun was a man that was used to people doing as he said, still they didn't see what the problem was so what if they were naked! It wasn't like they had time to get dressed! Still they were covered in blood and it was beginning to dry, flaking off and making them feel itchy. Without saying anything the three of them turned around and began to walk back to the clearing, just as they were walking away Di spoke.

"20."

Va and An looked at with their eyes wide, the immediately ran back the the numerous dead bodies and began to count, Va looked around and spotted 2, An looked at spotted 3 which meant that Da got 2 and Shi, had gotten the rest but Di had killed the most of them. Van looked at Di and pouted her bottom lip quivering, her blue eyes shining as she looked at Di, she knew that he couldn't resist her pouting which was why she was doing it.

"Not fair."

Di shook his head a fond smile on his face as he ruffled her hair, An looked at the interaction and squeaked in surprise when Di had picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like one would a bag of flour or a dead animal, Va happily skipping beside him as they walked, she was humming as they back to the clearing, Di looked at the group as he asked.

"Coming?"

The group began to follow them to the clearing where all of their clothes and rest of their weapons lay. When they had got back to the clearing they wasted no time in jumping back into the water, washing off the blood. Va surfaced first her blue eyes glittering as clear as the water once was, her blonde hair was stuck to her chest covering her breasts she submerged once more before coming back up and swimming to the grass where her clothes lay. She didn't even bother to hide behind a bush or a tree as she began to wrap her breasts up and pull on her light blue pirate pants that had been a gift from Shi two years before, she tied the belt around her waist and made sure that it was tight enough to keep her pants up but not that tight that it left red marks. She quickly pulled on her light blue summer blouse which went with the pants and sat down on the grass while she put her light blue leg guards back on.

An was getting out the last of the blood from her ink black hair, her gold eyes twinkled merrily as she dived off a nearby rock formation. Kicking her legs she broke the surface rather quickly, with her height it was rather easy for her to do, her hair was stuck to her forehead, back and breasts. When An had her hair down it would reach her knee caps, they all had long hair but not as long as Di and Da, the two of them had been competing for years on whose hair was the longest. Still An came a very good third place, still An enjoyed the water for a few more moments. It was cool and refreshing against her naturally hot skin, during winter they would cuddle into her because her body was so warm. Still it was time to get dressed as much as she enjoyed lazing around and soaking up the sun Shi was still injured, it wouldn't be fair for them to enjoy this down time without him.

Unlike Va who had light blue pirate pants An's were black with a red belt around the middle of it, however there was a slight flaw in An's plan to get dressed her skin was still wet and as such her pants were sticking to her making her arse look more perky and firm than what it normally was.

An used her old wrapping for her breasts and attempted to dry herself, once she felt that she was dry enough she pulled on her black maiden top with red outline and began to sort out her sleeve making sure that it wasn't twisted or tangled. Once she was satisfied with her top she pulled on her black valkyrie boots and placed her two gold hoops into her ears, she had gotten Shi, to pierce her ears for her because at the time she had been too young to do it herself, so Shi had done it for her. He had then saved up whatever money he could and bought her two large gold hoops for her ears, she had been wearing them every day for the past 15 years.

Di was the last one to go into the water, his dark blue fringe was covering one eye, the rest of his hair was black and down at his ankles. Di rubbed his chest trying to get rid of the dry blood, it was flaky and making him it, the water had gotten most of it off but his hair was still thick with it, making his hair clump together. While he wasn't bothered about the fact that they had battled naked it had apparently disturbed the group that had offered to help their brother, so he would wash up and get dressed and hope that it hadn't disturbed them any further, but really wandering around for as long as they did meant they didn't really care about modesty or clothes most of the time, after all it hadn't been the first time that they had to fight naked.

Standing on top of a rock formation he jumped off and landed in the water he resurfaced after a few minutes, his hair was clung to his body like a cloak using his powerful arms and legs he swam back to the grass where his sisters were waiting for him. Va smiled as she passed him his clothes and walked over to An who was sorting out their weapons, Di ran a hand down his stubble and grimaced if he let it get any longer he would end up with a beard, not that he didn't like beards he did but he just didn't suit one. He looked at An and noticed that her old wrapping were wet and had been carelessly stuffed into her bag, she would need new ones by the looks of things. He pulled on his black water dragon boots a gift from Da for his birthday they were a good few years old and he would need new ones very soon, his wolf shirt had a hole in and was in dire need of repair. Va had been nagging at him for months to get some new clothes but he could spend his money on more useful things like getting An some new wraps for her breasts or repair Va's weapon, or even buy Shi some new books. Once he was dressed he walked over to the group who was eyeing up their weapons with appraisal in their eyes.

"Who do we have to thank for helping our brother?"

Di leaned against a tree as An had asked the question Va was braiding her hair, so it would be kept out of her eyes while it dried that and the fact she hated her hair getting wet. It would often stick to her face making it harder for her, and in a fight it was the last thing that she needed one mistake could cost her, her life. Not that they would let anything happen to her.

"I am Lord Cao Cao, this is Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren."

They already knew who Dun was he had been glaring darkly at them until they had gotten dressed, Ren had a small smile playing on his lips. The looked at each other for a few moments until An bluntly asked.

"What do you want?"

Cao raised a dark eyebrow as he simply stated.

"For you to join me."

That was not what they were expecting, they had thought the he would have demanded payment off them, be it sexual or have them kill bandits for him. They were not expecting that at all, they looked at each other a silent conversation passing between them. Va looked at them before calmly saying.

"We will talk to Da and Shi, about it. I doubt that they will say no though."

~~~~~~~~With Da and Shi~~~~~

Shi groaned as he was placed down onto a hard bed, his chest felt like it was on fire. His muscles felt heavy and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Keep those eyes open Shi."

That was Da, what was Da doing here? Was he dying?

"SHI!"

Shi felt his eyes snap open as he weakly met Da's gaze, there was worry in that lone green eye he hadn't meant to worry his brother, but where were the others? He tried to lift himself up but Da pushed him gently back down, he laid back down as two men he had never seen before came into the room. Da ran his hand through his white hair, it had always relaxed Shi when they had been children and it still worked now. Da made sure that Shi was relaxed as the physician looked him over. Da looked at the man that had shown them to the camp, he had been kind and didn't mention his state of undress once. Not that Da had cared, but he had learned that the man's name was Xiahou Yuan and he was a cousin of Cao Cao the man who had been speaking to them shortly after they had battled. They had given Da some clothes to wear as he had been naked when he had came into the camp, Yuan had shown Da where the physician's tent was when they had gotten there Shi had been whisked off and Da had been left with Yuan who had taken him to another tent to get dressed. The clothes were tight and restricting but there was nothing he could do about them now, he would wait until he had his own clothes then change into them. He sat next to Shi as the physician applied a foul smelling paste to the cuts on his chest, he watched as Shi winced a little. Da wanted to rip the man in half, he was hurting his brother and his instincts were screaming at him to kill the threat, to kill and take Shi far away. Something must of shown on his face as Yuan began to explain.

"It is a paste to stop the wounds from becoming infected."

Da backed down a little as the wounds were bandaged, the woman quickly fled from the room once she was done leaving only Yuan and Da left alone, Yuan looked at the sleeping man on the bed. He had seen the murderous rage on Da's face, he knew that he wouldn't of been able to stop the other man should he of tried to kill the physician, the only thing he would of been able to do was wound the other man and hoped that it would have slowed him down long enough for him to go and get help. Yuan looked back at the sleeping man and felt a frown pull at his lips, they were all close that much he could see, he could see how in the battle they all covered each other making sure that the archer had enough muscle in front of her so she wouldn't get injured. The small blonde woman had two weapons strapped to her, one was a pando and the other was a staff even she had been protected as well. So how was it that he had been attacked? How was it that someone had been able to get a hit on him?

It didn't make any sense, until Da opened his mouth and spoke in that rumbling voice of his.

"Shi likes to draw and paint, he had left us so he could relax for it bit with Di and Va fighting Va had been annoying Di so he had thrown her into the lake. Shi had enough of them fighting so he had told us that he was going to go and paint for a bit."

Yuan nodded his head, that would make sense on how they had been able to attack him. A man dressed in his travelling clothes and no weapon on sight would of been a golden opportunity for them, they wouldn't of been able to pass it up. It must of came as one hell of a surprise when he had started to beat them with the flail that had been with him, Shi didn't look like he could lift a flail let alone swing one. Da reached over and grasped one of his brothers hands as he spoke once again.

"Normally Shi lets one of us go with him, but with how riled up Di and va got him he had declined one of us to go with him. We should have insisted then he wouldn't be here like this!"

Da's free hand gripped his hair, Yuan winced at the strength that he was using, if he pulled any harder he would rip his own hair out. Yuan placed his hand on Da's shoulder. He may not know the man, they might never see each other again after this. But he couldn't let him punish himself for something they had no control over, it wasn't their fault. It was an accident, there was nothing that they could do about it, well that wasn't completely true they had slaughtered the bandits. When they had turned up there had only been one left alive and even then it looked like they were playing a game of cat and mouse with the bandits. Yuan had seen then and there that they could be very cruel when someone they loved was hurt, they would be cruel if someone who they loved had been hurt. Yuan felt a shudder run through his body at the thought of what they would do should he have died, there wouldn't of been a force big or strong enough to stop them. Yuan was certain of that, he wasn't even sure that death would be able to stop them. Still it hadn't happened which meant that whatever would've happened didn't and for that Yuan was grateful. Yuan kept his hand on Da's shoulder offering the complete stranger his silent support. If the roles had been any different he knew that Da would be doing the same for him, despite Da's height, size and the giant crescent blade that he had wielded he was a kind and loving man, Yuan wondered how many people outside of their family had ever seen this side of him.

Both Yuan and Da heard the sound of people approaching, the flap of the tent opened and Va came running in Da held open his free arm and she ran into his arm. Da held her close as Va snuggled into his chest inhaling his familiar spicy scent, Da had always reminded Va of spice had done since she had been a little girl braiding his hair with flowers. She heard the thundering sound of his heartbeat in his chest, it was steady and calm just what she needed after the scare she had.

An was checking on Shi, she had placed her hand against his forehead and frowned.

"He has temperature."

Before they could even say anything An had walked to her bag and rummaged around in it before pulling out several items, An walked to the corner of the tent and began to make some sort of drink with the herbs that she had pulled out of her bag.

Di looked at Da, his eyes holding a silent message. Da looked at Di and nodded his head before looking at Va and An and asking.

"Watch over him?"

Va nodded her head a grim expression on her normally cheerful face as she stated.

"Would we do anything less?"

Da and Di both walked out of the tent, as they exited Di spotted Cao Cao and gave a small nod of his head. Cao inclined his head to show that he had gotten the message, once the two of them were a safe distance away Di turned to Da and blunty said.

"Cao Cao wants us to join him."

Da felt his eyebrows raise to his hairline as he inquired.

"Why?"

Di shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.

"Said he was impressed by the way we had fought."

Da looked at Di, out of all of them Di could read people better than anyone he had ever met. While Shi was a brilliant strategist Di could tell what a person was thinking before they even knew what they were thinking. He was also the best cook that any of them knew and that was saying something seeing as they had left China for several years to learn more, it was how An had learned to become a physician and Va learned how to kill someone with a pair of chopsticks, how Shi learned to paint and draw. Even Da had learned how to sew and sing, his deep voice making him one of the best singers that anyone had heard.

"You don't think it's true."

Di looked away, and studied a near by tree.

"Its true but why he needs us I don't yet know."

Da mulled over what he had been told before he came to a decision.

"We wait for Shi to wake up then we will make our choice, but Da we have been wanting to settle down for a while now maybe this is our chance to."

The two of them looked at each other, thought whirling around in their heads. Whatever would come they would face it together as a family just like they always did, nothing would change except for the fact that maybe, just maybe their family would become bigger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note- This is co-written between me, ****DarkDragonessFliesEveryWhere and Rasean, This will contain OCs, slash, Yuri and heterosexual relationships. There is also blood, gore, death, injuries and other things that will be mentioned. **

**This is Dynasty Warriors not some romance novel, yes there will be romance but most of it is fighting. Ancient China was not a nice place, if you have played the games or even done your research then you will know this. If you choose to ignore everything that has been posted in the authors note then it is not our fault it is YOURS for not reading it. **

**Disclaimer- Don't own Dynasty warriors nor is any money made off this story. **

* * *

Chapter 2

5 years before Yellow turban rebellion.

They had been with Cao Cao and his group for four days, in that time Shi had still not woke up. Cao had been very generous with them, he hadn't pushed them or forced them to answer he understood that they were waiting for Shi. Da had been training and sparring nearly all the time, trying to get his mind off the fact that Shi was in the medical tent. Va had taken to fixing everything in the camp no matter how small it was, An was mothering the men from Cao to the troops even Dun had been on the receiving end of her mothering a few times, Di had taken to reading to Shi while he was healing hoping that somehow he would come back to them.

They hadn't ate in days and they hadn't slept either, they didn't incase Shi woke up while they were asleep. If he did then he would of ran, not knowing that he was safe in the camp that his family was with him, Dun had taken to sparring with Da most of the time claiming that it kept him in shape. It wasn't the fact that Da wiped the floor with him most of the time, using moves that none of them had seen before.

Yuan and An when she wasn't mothering people to death would hold competitions on who could get their arrow the farthest, it nearly always ended up in a draw. Va would spend time with Ren she enjoyed the other man's company he would explain troop movements and which bases other people would take out first should they ever go to war. Cao would often go in the medical tent and sit with Di as he read to Shi, he would offer his opinions on the book that Di was reading and the two would end up in heavy debates over the book.

No one could say that life was boring, many of the troops asked them if they could train them as they used moves that they hadn't seen before, even Dun had asked Da to teach him a few new moves. Va had shown Yuan the best places to hide throwing knives and daggers so he was never left defenceless should his bow get broken or somehow removed from his person. An had began to play both Go and Shogi with Cao when he wasn't arguing with Di. Ren would often sit with both Shi and Di, sometimes he wouldn't speak at all and other times he would ask Di questions on defence tactics and other things.

Still they were worried it was quickly approaching the 6th day and Shi had still not woken up yet and they were beginning to lose hope, everyone around them could see it in their eyes, faces, body and even when they spoke it was like they had lost part of themselves and they didn't know what to do. Ren and Cao had offered to keep watch over Shi while they went to go and get something to eat, they had refused to leave Shi's side for a full day. So they forgone sleeping and eating, just sitting their pleading with their brother to wake up.

Cao and Ren were both sitting in silence and enjoying it, the camp had became lively since the group had came and they could say that it was for the better, the men were better at fighting now and could easily take down an enemy general should they need too. Ren looked at Cao and asked.

"Why them?"

Cao looked at him, his dark eyes intense as he spoke.

"They have something, something that I can't quite name but whatever it is I feel…"

Cao trailed off, it wasn't often that he was lost for words. He could raise an army with a few words and cut down the biggest and strongest of foes with a well aimed comment, so for him to be lost for words?

Ren knew what he meant, they had a spark about them that made you want to be near them. Want to be part of their lives, to see the real people behind the weapons, clothes and masks. None of them were blind or stupid they knew that they wore masks they could see it.

Va wore as mask of happiness, she was always smiling and cheery despite what was going on.

An was ruthless, when she trained the troops they would fall down to the ground in exhaustion and pain.

Da was silent, he didn't speak. But most of the time he didn't need to his lone green eye would often say what he wasn't willing to speak out loud.

Di was cold and aloof, he kept everyone but his family at arms length. Making sure that no one could see the real him.

Ren looked at Cao and began to speak in a thoughtful tone.

"They have a warmth inside of them, you can feel it and see it. But they are so broken as well, they don't let people close."

Cao inclined his head as he looked at Shi who was still unconscious between them.

"The most powerful and strongest people are the ones that don't have anything to lose, or they have suffered so greatly that they build themselves up in ways so that no one can hurt them again."

Ren pondered over his words as Cao began to read a book that he had brought with him, it wasn't that they disliked watching over Shi. It was the fact that they longer he remained unconscious and unaware the longer they would have to wait for their answer, not just that they more the other became depressed. They hoped that Shi would awaken soon, they didn't know what their breaking point was the but Cao, Ren, Yuan and Dun could see they were quickly approaching their breaking point.

Cao looked up from his book and looked at Shi, just as he was about to return to it he saw Shi's eyes moving behind his eyelids, and his eyelids begin to flutter.

"Ren."

Ren looked at where Cao was looking and saw exactly what Cao saw, Shi was finally waking up.

"I will go and get them."

Cao nodded his head as Ren left the room and began to look for the siblings, Shi awoke with a groan his eyes were cloudy as he looked around the room. His golden cat eyes landed on Cao as he rasped out in a weak voice.

"Where am I?"

Just as Cao was about to reply the flap of the tent was nearly ripped off as the siblings came rushing in.

"SHI!"

The all ran to the bed that Shi was laying on, he was trying to sit up but Cao's hand on his chest stopped him. An began to check over her brother and fuss over him mothering him like one would do to a small child, Da was stood at the entrance of the tent he nodded his head to Ren and Cao in a sign of thanks. Va had dragged both Dun and Yuan with her, Di looked at Shi and something flashed through his eyes to quickly so no one was able to see just what it was.

An checked Shi's eyes, ears and head she even placed two fingers onto his wrist to check his pulse, An then looked at Shi and stated.

"Your heart is normal, so are your ears and eyes. The temperature you had the other day has gone so that is good, you will need to rest for a couple more days."

Shi groaned and looked around for an ally but found none.

"There is nothing wrong with me, that a bit of food and sleep can't fix!"

Di stepped forwards his hands clenching into fists as he snarled out, in a animalist voice

"You almost died!"

Da and An had stood up straight at the sound of Di snarling, it was very rare that Di got angry it took a lot for him to lose his temper. Da and An dragged everyone out of the tent as they heard Di shout.

"DOES YOUR LIFE MEAN SO LITTLE TO YOU!"

The flap of the tent had closed before they had chance to hear Shi's reply, they moved away as Dun looked at Da and grunted

"This happen often?"

Da looked at Dun who had taken up sharpening his pando, Dun was sat on a tree stump as the rest of them gathered around them.

"Does what happen often?"

Dun jerked his head back towards the medical tent, where Di and Shi were fighting. Va shook her head, the loose strands of blonde hair flying everywhere as An unbraided her hair and began to re-braid it.

"Di rarely if ever loses his temper, he is more of a….."

Van winced as An pulled on a stubborn hair knot that was refusing to leave, An continued where Va had left off.

"Di gets quiet, when he goes silent then you worry. He only ever shouts when his temper has got the better of him."

Dun nodded his head and continue to sharpen his pando, Cao and Ren were having a game of Go to pass the time. An had finished with Va's hair and was tying a small band around the bottom of it to keep it in place, Da had removed his halberd and ran a finger down the edge of the blade and frowned at how blunt it was. He pulled a large sharpening stone from his bag and began to run it down the length of the halberd blade, An looked at her arrows and frowned she had barely a dozen left which meant that should they enter battle she would only be left with her twin swords when she was better with her bow, the bow that her, Shi and Va had made together. Shi giving An the design of it, while Va had attached the bowstring to her bow for her. They had all decorated the bow together, it had been one of the best times of her life and that was saying something.

An walked over to Yuan and looked at his arrows before frowning between the two of them they barely had 20 arrows which wouldn't do at all, with a sigh she sat down on the ground and began to sort out arrowheads and wood that would be good for the base of the arrow. The wood couldn't be too thin otherwise it could snap when she would draw her strong back, leaving her with an arrowhead in her foot. If the wood was too thick it could be too heavy and not go very far and fall into the ground, getting the wood the right thickness and weight was crucial. Something that An had learned the hard after she had fired 5 arrows into Da's foot as children, it had been funny watching Da hop around on one foot as several arrows were stuck out of the other one.

Va had to take them out as she had the smallest and thinnest fingers, she had been able to remove the arrow heads without them getting stuck in Da's foot, Di and An had been holding Da down so he didn't kick out or squirm. Shi had been scolding An for what she had did and promptly told her that the arrows had been too heavy and as such had not travelled very far, An had felt guilty for days because of what she had did Da had just waved it off saying that everyone made mistakes and there was nothing to feel guilty about.

After that An had thrown herself into learning everything she could about arrow weight, length and width making sure that she never make the same mistake again. Shi had even helped her by finding an old soldier who had been a archer in his younger days, between the three of them An was making her arrows the right weight in no time, the length she would struggle on sometimes they would be too long and others they would be too short.

The first time she had made an arrow too long she had fired it at a man attacking a woman, what she didn't count on was the length of the arrow it had went straight through his heart and stuck out of his back. An didn't remember much after that she hadn't been aiming to kill the man, she had been aiming for his shoulder in an attempt to stop him. But sadly it went wrong, once again she threw herself into her training making sure that every arrow she made was perfect, that it wouldn't harm someone unless she aimed the arrow to kill.

While An had been thinking on her past, and the mistakes she had made Yuan had sat next to her and began making arrows with her, sat on a nearby fallen log watching over them as they sharpened their weapons was Dun and Da the two silently watching over them, Cao and Ren had finished their game of Go and were helping Va go through a series of pando moves that she was struggling with.

Every time she made a mistake Cao corrected her with words and showed her how to do it right, with her height and build the pando didn't really suit Va. She was quick on her feet and a fast striker sometimes hitting an enemy several times before he or she had even swung his or her weapon once. When Cao had finished teaching her some moves for her pando Ren had took it upon himself to teach her a few defensive moves should she ever be cornered. Ren doubted that Va would ever get cornered but it was better to be on the safe side, Ren blocked a kick that would have hit his ribs should Va have connected it.

Ren made a grab for her leg but she had back flipped several times and was stood a little way off from him, Ren felt his blood began to pound and give him a thrill. This was just supposed to be training but it looked like Va was ready to take it to the next level.

Spar.

Ren had removed the bulk of his armour, it wouldn't be fair if he was sparring in his armour while Va was just in her travelling clothes, when it was a friendly spar. Ren watched as Va made a dash forwards and went to punch him but he blocked it, Ren brought his hand down and jabbed her side causing her to hiss.

"You left, your left side wide open for an attack."

Va pressed her hand to her side and winced in pain, she had not been expecting the attack to come as quickly as it did. Still she would need to up her game, Va used one of the moves that she had been taught positioning her hands above her head she did a handstand before flipping herself several times when she got close enough to Ren she swung her leg out and roundhouse kicked him to the face. Ren went down and looked at Va who was stood above of him a small smirk playing on her lips, Ren grabbed hold of her left leg and pulled it from underneath her.

"Never let your guard down, just because you think you have won."

Ren gripped her leg tightly and pulled on it, Va used her free legs and kicked him directly in the jaw. Ren didn't have time to stop the attack, when he had let go Va jumped back and looked at him waiting for the next move that he would make. Ren and Va both circled each other Ren's jaw was throbbing and he felt a little dizzy off the kicks that Va had managed to get on him, Va was feeling winded and tired. While she was speed, Ren was endurance which he had proved by taking two of her most powerful attack and shaking them off like they were nothing, they were still circling each other neither of them wanted to give the other any room in which to attack.

While they were circling each other Da and Dun were watching them, they had been since the beginning of the spar. Dun looked at Da as he questioned.

"What was that move she used at the beginning."

Da looked at Dun who had rested his pando against his leg as he watched Ren and Va trade blows, Da looked at Va who rolled out of the way and used her legs to knock Ren's from underneath him. Ren didn't even have time to stop and brace for a fall, Da hummed as he explained to Dun.

"It is called a roundhouse kick."

Dun looked at Ren who had crossed his arms into a X shape and blocked an attack from Va.

"Where did she learn it?"

Da watched as Ren pulled his fist back and went to punch Va only for her to grab hold of his arm and twist it behind his back, he knew from experience that it could very well break his arm should the right amount of pressure be applied to his arm.

"When we left China for a few years."

Dun didn't ask any more on the matter and Da didn't offer anything else, they were engrossed in watching the fight and they weren't the only ones. Cao and An were watching the two fight as well and nearly all of the troops were gathered around the two.

Both Ren and Va were panting for the spar, sweat was running down Va's head and onto her dripping innocently onto her top. Ren was bruised and tired, he had been right about Va she was a quick fighter more often than not getting two hits on him before he had even got one onto her. Still it was good and they were both evenly matched his endurance and stamina had seen to that, Ren knew that there would be no winner that both he and Va would end up tying either due to fatigue or injuries both were supporting a few bruises and Ren could feel his eye swelling of where Va had managed to get a punch in.

Both Yuan and An were checking their arrows, Yuan had been attaching feathers to the ends of the arrows that An had been making. The two of them had been working together while Va and Ren sparred, they had stopped every now and then to watch the two of them. Their hands working on auto pilot as their eyes were watching both Va and Ren their bodies knowing exactly what needed doing so they didn't have to look at what they were doing, still it was nice to work with someone while she made arrows. Even if they hadn't been talking while they had did it, it was still nice to find some sort of common ground with someone.

An thought that it was strange, just a few days ago they had been strangers to on and other. They hadn't trusted each other always watching and waiting to see what the other group would do, but now?

Now An knew that she could trust them to some degree how far she could trust them she didn't know, but she knew that they would have her back in a fight should they be attacked. She knew that Va felt the same way as well, Da she wasn't too sure about she knew that he liked Dun. That he could see Dun as a friend in the future, that Dun would be someone who he went and talked to, but Da wasn't willing to throw himself in with them just yet. They would wait for Shi to get better than make their decision, but she knew that her and Va would join Cao Cao no matter what her brothers said.

But with that being said they had wanted to settle down for a while, being on the road and travelling most of the time had became boring and tiresome. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy it any more, it was the fact that they could only battle bandits and wild animals so many times before they would get bored. Which was what had happened, An didn't know what Di had said to Da while she wanted to know she knew that getting any information out of either of them was like pulling teeth painful and depending on the state of the tooth wasteful and pointless.

Then there was Shi, he hadn't had the time to get to know any of them. While he trusted his sibling to watch his back and keep him informed of what was going on he preferred to make his own opinions of people, not base it off rumours and gossip. An knew that if she and Va could get Shi over to their side then there would be a big chance of convincing both Da and Di to join as well, after all Shi was a strategist and one of the best and the only person that they knew was an old hermit that had lived in the mountains. They had met him a few times and Shi liked him, his acidic way of talking to people and the way he would compliment you in one sentence then insult you in the next was something that Shi had wanted to learn. So they had stayed in the mountains for some time while Shi learned from him, during that time they had brushed up on everything that they had learned it had been peaceful and wonderful for some time but then he had died and they had been the only ones to mourn his passing.

He had been a great friend, a wonderful mentor and a strong confident for them to lose him so soon after they had found him was a crushing blow, still they had mourned his passing then packed up what he had owned and left the cave where they had been living for some months.

An looked at Yuan who was watching the spar, the arrows that he had done were in a neat pile next to his feet. Her pile was half thrown around her feet, she was very grateful and relieved that none of them had broken, otherwise they would be making more arrows all over again and while it was enjoyable there was only so much one person could take. So for now they would wait, wait and see just what Da, Di and Shi would do and say.

They were tired and needed to put their feet firmly down on the ground, it was just the question of finding where to put their feet down. An knew that it was Cao, call it a sixth sense or woman's intuition but An knew that if they stayed with him then their future wouldn't be so bleak anymore. That they could possibly find love, and be with someone that wasn't a family member have someone that they could lean on. Don't get An wrong she loved her family to pieces and she would kill to keep them safe and she had done so on more than one occasion but she wanted to have a lover to possibly adopt children, to see them grow up and become strong people and ferocious warriors.

An sighed and watched as Ren pinned Va down in one move, however Va had her hand wrapped around Ren's throat meaning it was a tie between the two of them. An stood up and held her hand out to Ren who took it with a small smile playing on his lips he looked at Va and rasped out, his throat was throbbing off where Va had grabbed him.

"Good match."

Va nodded her head, she felt to dizzy to speak at the moment and the world around her was spinning. Da had walked over to Va and placed a hand on her shoulder Va leaned into Da and allowed him to take her weight, she was tired and sore. She just wanted to see Shi, have something to eat then fall asleep and sleep for days on end.

Da looked around he thought he had heard something a twig snapping, his hand on Va tightened a little she was tired so was Ren. Da didn't want either of them near here if there was going to be a fight on their hands, Da scanned the nearby trees and scowled when he spotted white hair.

"Shi!"

A guilty looking Shi came out of the trees, Da scowled at him, An looked as though she wanted to knock him out cold and drag him back to the medical tent, Va felt even more drained. Not even a week ago he had been fighting for his life and now he was sneaking out of the medical tent and wandering the forest in just some training pants! Suddenly the group could feel a headache coming on as An growled out.

"Where is Di?"

Shi looked away, he looked so guilty that everyone could feel it. An suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach as Shi mumbled.

"I drugged him."

They all stared at Shi, none of them knew just what to say at all. Not only had he snuck out of the medical tent he had drugged Di as well! What was the beginning of a headache had turned into a migraine Di was notorious with his hatred of being drugged he despised it. So for Shi to do it?

The siblings wondered if Shi would be alive by the time Di had finished with him, just as Va was about to say something an enraged yell echoed throughout the entire camp.

"SHI!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note- This is co-written between me, ****DarkDragonessFliesEveryWhere and Rasean, This will contain OCs, slash, Yuri and heterosexual relationships. There is also blood, gore, death, injuries and other things that will be mentioned. **

**This is Dynasty Warriors not some romance novel, yes there will be romance but most of it is fighting. Ancient China was not a nice place, if you have played the games or even done your research then you will know this. If you choose to ignore everything that has been posted in the authors note then it is not our fault it is YOURS for not reading it. **

**Disclaimer- Don't own Dynasty warriors nor is any money made off this story. **

* * *

Chapter 3

5 years before Yellow turban rebellion.

No one had dared to move or breath, the enraged yell that they had heard from Di had spoke volumes of just how enraged he was, how badly his temper had got the better of him. Shi felt fear run down his spine, he knew that Di would never hurt him. Sure he was angry at him, who wouldn't be? He had drugged Di when he knew just how much Di hated to be drugged and for what?

To sneak out of the medical tent when he knew that he should be resting, but he was tired of just laying down dammit!

From what he had gathered it was all he had been doing nor nearly a week, that was 7 days! 7 days of doing nothing but laying still on a bed, surely Di understood that. Shi hated to be still, he couldn't stand it. Yes he could sit through meetings and other important things when he needed to but other than that he liked to keep moving, he liked to see things and do things. Not let the world pass him by, he didn't like the feeling never had and never would.

So when Di broke through the tree line his eyes feral, his lips pulled back into a snarl showing his sharper than normal canines he felt scared in a way that he hadn't been since they had all been children together.

Shi kept still as Di stalked forwards like a wild cat, he knew that he shouldn't be afraid but he couldn't help it. This side of Di had always scared them, he was more beast than human when he got like this, Da took a step forward ready to defend against his brother should he need to and he wasn't the only one, An had notched an arrow and pulled the string on the bow back, Va had moved from her slouched position against Da and stood up straight a dagger was in her hand.

For the longest time no one moved at all, Shi allowed Di to look him over. To see that he was alright that nothing had happened, he took a small step forward and ignored Da's growl

"Shi."

He had never been very good at taking orders they all knew that, Shi preferred to think for himself not blindly follow someone like a sheep or a dog. Shi took another small step forward, Di's eyes were fixated on him the whole time. Taking in every movement, every breath that he took. Cao, Dun, Yuan and Ren had all moved into a position of their own, they had done so after the siblings had got into theirs. They didn't know what was going on and to be honest they weren't really sure that they wanted to know, the troops were nervous and some were even trembling. One man made the mistake of moving, Di turned around and growled at him, the sound was animalistic and deep. Shi whipped his head around and snapped

"Don't move!"

Shi got closer to Di who was still growling, the sound caused his chest vibrate. Shi would normally find it a comfort, especially when Di purred like an overgrown kitten. But now the sound was terrifying. Shi remembered having a cat as a child, it had been feral and vicious towards people. It would bite and scratch anyone that would come close to it, he remembered sitting down on the ground and eating a meat bun and the cat would come closer each time. Until one day it was sat next to him calmly looking at him so he took some of the pork out of the meat bun and placed it in front of the cat and went back to eating, when he looked back down the pork was gone and the cat was sat there grooming himself. After that he would sit there and talk to the cat and feed it, it had taken him a very long time to be able to even pet it but he had managed it.

Shi knew that Di was much like the cat at the moment and any sudden movements could spook him and cause him to lash out in defence, but the only one close to him was Shi. Shi took a small step backwards, Di was angry and when he was angry the best thing to do was give him some space not enough for him to think that he had been abandoned but enough that when he lashed out he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Di had stopped growling and was looking around at everyone and everything, Shi knew that all the new smells would be causing him havoc. Shi held out his hand and waited for Di to come closer and sniff it, after a few tense moments Di took a step forwards his body moving like a tiger as he came close to Shi, Shi held still as Di began to sniff his hand.

After Di was satisfied that Shi was in fact Shi he had just enough time to brace himself as he got tackled to the ground, Dun moved but Da held him back as Da whispered to Dun.

"Don't."

Dun relaxed slightly against Da's grip, thankfully it wasn't that tight otherwise it would have been painful and Dun knew that there would have been bruises on his shoulder, Cao looked at what was going on before inquiring

"What is happening?"

Va had sagged against Da once again she was tired both mentally and physically, An was putting her arrow away as she commented

"That is Shi calming Di down."

Ren and Yuan looked confused as Va tiredly spoke up

"Right now Di is more animal than human, those cat eyes are not just for show."

Now that the danger had somewhat passed the group could study Shi and they noticed straight away that he had golden cat eyes much like Di did, but unlike Di who was all muscle Shi was lean. He was toned but not overly so, he had a well developed six pack and white chest hair covering his chest. He had no beard or scars which was uncommon but not that much so, some men didn't like beards or even stubble so it was all shaved off. While his face was unmarred his chest told a different story he had several scars on his chest which they could see but they couldn't see how far down they went due to the bandages that were wrapped around his chest. The purple training pants that he wore were far to big and trailed along the floor, it was clear to them that they belonged to either Da or Di.

Shi ran his hands through Di's hair, his growling had stopped and he was now purring which was a relief for him. An watched as Di sniffed Shi's chest and a deep rumbled left his chest but that was it, he made no movement.

Cao was looking at the two in interest, curiosity and confusion, he knew that something was going on he could clearly see that but what? Of that he had no idea, he wanted an explanation. But he still made no move towards the two, An looked at him and then back at Shi and Di who were laying down on the grass as Shi stroked Di's hair.

"Shi and Di are sometimes more animal than man, same with Da should he ever lose his temper like Di did. For as long as any of us can remember our entire family has been like this, even our parents were like this when we were younger."

Cao looked at An as he questioned.

"Is there no one you can ask?"

An's face could have been made from stone with how quickly her face lost all emotion, her eyes were cold and her face blank as she curtly responded.

"No."

With that she turned and walked away, leaving more questions than answers. An hadn't meant to snap at him, but his question had brought back memories that they had all tried to bury and forget, but they couldn't. Va sometimes still woke up screaming as she felt the fire lick at her skin, An herself had experienced night terrors, a few times on those times she had crawled into bed with either Di or Da. Sometimes they would all end up in the same bed because they all had nightmares, An felt a shudder rack her body, she would be having nightmares tonight that much she did know.

One day they would tell them, but it wasn't today nor would it be any day soon.

It was like his senses were muffled, almost as if someone had thrown him into water and had began to speak to him and he couldn't hear or see properly. Di could hear people talking around him, the sound of movement he could feel someone running their hands through his hair, it felt wonderful. He felt his chest rumble and mentally froze, had he lost control?

The hand in his hair began to scratch at his scalp, once again he began to purr. He could feel the vibrations in his chest and hear it now, it was loud and clear. He shifted as he felt the hand move away from his head and a voice murmur

"Di? Are you okay?"

Looking up Di met Shi's golden eyes worry and concern being the most predominant emotions in his eyes, Di nodded his head not trusting himself to talk at the moment. Di wasn't sure if he could talk at the moment, he looked at Shi and could see no new wounds. So he hadn't injured Shi which he was grateful for, but still he hadn't lost control like that in years it had been both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, Di wasn't sure if he loved it or hated it.

Di untangled himself from Shi, Shi looked shocked Di had never done that before normally he would allow Shi to keep him calm to make sure that he wasn't going to lose control again, but right now he needed to talk to Da. He had to see him, to tell him that he would be joining Wei no matter what. When he had lost control he had felt no urge to attack, Ren, Cao, Dun or Yuan the urge just wasn't there.

Di looked at Shi, and felt guilty his brother hadn't really did anything wrong, it had been him over reacting. He pulled Shi up and wrapped his arms around him while he purred letting Shi know that everything was fine between the two of them and that he wasn't angry. Shi relaxed as Di purred, and knew that everything was fine now, that he and his brother were okay despite the fact that he had drugged him.

Di ruffled his hair before walking off and looking for Da, he would speak with his brother about what had happened. Shi was walking around trying to calm down, he was still in view the whole time even if he didn't want to be in view but he knew that he needed to be incase he fell down or if his chest started to hurt someone will be able to help him. He thought about how Di had lost control for the first time in years because of the drugs. He realized that if he hadn't drugged Di then Di wouldn't have been so close to losing control, then his control snapping. He felt guilty for it, it had been his own stupid mistake that had caused all this his own selfish desire to leave the medical tent.

Shi looked over at the camp and sighed, he couldn't go back just yet. He knew that he wouldn't be able to face Di or any of the others with this guilt still flowing through his veins like a river, he needed to get rid of it, to feel like normal or as normal as he could get.

Shi turned and began to walk away not noticing that someone was following him, with some paint, ink and silk in his arms and hands.

Yuan could see that Shi was feeling guilty, he remembered what Da had said about how Shi loved to paint maybe it would help him. He followed Shi quietly he didn't want to upset the other anymore than he already was he could see in the way that he was walking and how quickly he was walking as he, Shi was trying to put as much distance between him and the camp as possible at the moment that much Yuan did know.

Yuan couldn't really see just what the problem was, yes Shi had drugged Di and he could understand that Di would be pissed about it and possibly be upset with Shi but it wasn't like Shi had known that Di would snap like he had done, so Yuan didn't understand why Shi was reacting the way that he was. It could possibly that it was a sibling thing Shi felt guilty because Di had snapped Yuan wasn't too sure, but still he wanted to get to know the other he had spent time with nearly all of them expect for Di who had spent most of his time with Cao and Ren even Dun, it wasn't that Yuan didn't like him it was the fact that he enjoyed making arrows with An and he tended to lose time so when they got back to camp nearly everyone was asleep.

Yuan watched as Shi stopped and looked around the small clearing that was 30 minutes away from the camp, it was perfect for anyone who wanted to get away from the camp. Which many of them had done, it was quiet as well so it was easy to sort out your thoughts and think things over without having everyone stare at you. Yuan stepped on a twig and Shi whirled around and looked at Yuan like a deer caught in a predators gaze

"Who are you?"

Yuan took a moment to look at Shi, the man was beginning to tremble slightly whether from the cold or because of the fact that he felt guilty and his body was reacting to it Yuan didn't know either was possible.

"Xiahou Yuan."

Shi inclined his head

"Lee Shi, but you already know that seeing as I was brought to this camp due to my wounds."

Yuan nodded his head and passed the painting supplies to Shi who takes them with a small smile and a nod of his head

"Thank you."

Yuan watches as Shi sets everything up and begins to paint, Yuan sitting next to him and watching as a masterpiece begins to unfold in front of his very eyes. He could see why people were attracted to painting wonderful images and viewing paintings if they were seeing things like this, he watched as every stroke Shi made was precise and measured as if Shi was made to do things like this.

Yuan continued to watch Shi paint as the sun began to set, he could see why Shi would take up painting not only was it soothing to watch the end results were breathtaking, Yuan knew that it took real talent and time to get to that level. Shi set down his brush and looked at Yuan before asking

"You are not bored?"

Yuan shook his head a smile playing on his lips.

"Nah, why would I be?"

Shi looked at Yuan with a raised eyebrow

"We have been here for several hours, I have been painting while you have done nothing but watch me surely you are bored?"

Yuan shook his head and looked at Shi his head tilted to the side

"It was fun, to watch you do something like that."

Shi looked at Yuan and saw sincerity in his eyes as well as honesty, it took a lot of patience for someone to to do painting or even play mahjong which Yuan knew Shi would be good at. He didn't know if Shi knew the rules for mahjong if he didn't he would be a quick learner and would be able to play with the best of them, the same with Shogi should Shi learn how to play. Still Yuan would have to teach Shi how to play, he remembered the first time he had learned to play mahjong. Shi looked around and spotted a small pond, and smiled when he spotted a certain species of frog that produced hallucinations by ingesting the toxins that they produced. Shi picked up the frog and looked at Yuan as he he asked

"Have you ever licked a frog before?"

Yuan looked at him like he was crazy and perhaps he was as Shi explained why.

"The frog allow you to see things."

Yuan looked at Shi and then back to the frog, he gave him a frog and licked his own. Yuan watched as Shi without hesitation proceeded to lick the slimey amphibian, a few moments pass before Yuan sees the frog drop from Shi's hands as he slowly began to mentally trip out, Shi had fallen onto the ground and began to say some unusual things

"That tree over here? Why is it pink and swirls like the emperor's concubine?"

At that moment Yuan lost all control and fell to his knees, his hands gripping his sides tightly as he roared with laughter,

"Ahahahahahahah oh Shi you strange fool, what nonsense are you spouting!"

But unbeknownst to Yuan, his frog freed itself from his grasp and hopped from his palm to the floor and then his mouth, Yuan's eyes widened as a new world was unfolded before his eyes and what seemed like wonders like colours and shapes began to engulf his vision.

"Whoa this….. this is magnificent" he said while staring at his hand. The duo laid there staring at clouds, trees and many other wonders of nature while seeing them in a new perspective the two of them laid on the grass pointing things out that they saw in the clouds.

"That ones a, a horse! Neigh, I am now a horse!"

Shi giggled as he looked at the cloud horse, he looked at his hand before licking it and rolling over. Yuan had still found his hand to be the most fascinating thing in the whole world as he stared at it moving it backwards and forwards from his face, Yuan looked over at Shi and smiled before something caught his eye.

"Look! A dragon!"

Shi turned around so fast his head looked as though it would fall off, he looked over to where Yuan was looking and gasped there on the tree branch was a baby dragon.

"It's so cute, I'm going to catch it!"

Yuan and Shi both stumbled to their feet and ran after the baby dragon that was in the tree several feet away.

"Here dragon, dragon!"

Yuan made shushing sounds as they 'stealthily' crept to the tree, if Yuan had stepped on a twig and shushed at it Shi didn't say anything as he had attempted to climb up the tree to get to the dragon.

"Here, dragon, dragon we won't hurt you! Just want to pet you!"

He slipped down the tree and landed on his posterior, he looked up at the tree branch that held the baby dragon, its black eyes were wide and looking at him as it made a 'chirp' sound, and Yuan stopped sushing the twig to look up at the dragon, it was real! And Cao Cao said that there was no such things as dragons! Well Yuan would show him! He would get the baby dragon pet him, love him, squeeze him, hug him and call him Ruko, it was a strong name for a dragon!

Then he would ride him into battle, and everyone would run away because of Ruko. He would be fierce and strong, and he would be the strongest on the land! No one would stop him!

Shi had began climbing back up the tree, Yuan followed him as the two began to climb up the tree. Neither noticed that they had in fact climbed more than half way up the tree and were getting dangerously close to the top of the tree. However what they did notice was the tree branches were getting thinner and further apart, they also noticed that they had climbed up the wrong tree and the dragon was on the other tree next to it. When they looked down they noticed just how high up they were, they both grabbed hold of the tree as they screamed as one.

"HELP ME!"

~~~~~~~In camp moments before~~~~~

They had all managed to calm down after the shock that they had with both Di and Shi, Da was sitting down on the grass going over everything that he had in his bag. Va was grooming the horses while An made sure that there was enough medical supplies to see them until they got back to the castle or where ever it was that they would be going after they had joined Cao, that was if Shi decided to join them.

Di was making sure that there was enough food to go around as he had been cooking several types of meat buns for everyone, just incase people wanted a change from pork buns. Di knew that there was only so many times that one person could eat pork meat buns before you began to hate them, that was when they all heard it, it was loud and shrill.

"HELP ME!"

They all got their weapons ready, and ran to where they heard the scream ready for battle. They got there and looked for the enemies, they couldn't see anyone. They looked up the tree and were confused, shock and angry just what did they think they were doing?

On the opposite tree they could hear the sound of a squirrel chattering away, it was up in the tree next to the tree that Yuan and She were in. They all looked at each other, none of them had any idea just what the hell had happened and why the two were in the tree.

"Here dragon, dragon!"

The siblings shared a look as Shi waved down at them, suddenly no longer afraid that he was up in a tree nearly 20 feet off the ground. Shi stood up on the thin branch causing it to creek dangerously as he began to make frog noises.

"Ribit, ribit."

All but one person knew what he meant, Va looked down on the ground and a vicious scowl appeared on her face as she snapped.

"Shi!"

Shi stumbled on the branch as he giggled.

"I'm a little froggy, hear me ribit!"

A sudden look of understanding passed over the siblings faces as An hit her forehead with her hand as she sighed

"Just what we need right now!"

Va smiled and shook her head before looking up the tree, they were far up almost at the top and getting them down would be a nightmare considering that they had no idea just how they had managed to get up there to begin with. She tilted her head as she noticed just how thin t6he branches were, one wrong move and they could fall and injure themselves or die. Neither of them looked very promising, there was also the problem that if one of them did climb up then just how would they get them back down?

It wasn't like she could carry one of them, not with her height. Sometimes being small had disadvantages, and other times it was a good thing as it caused people to underestimate her. It was the same with Shi but now her height was a disadvantage, maybe if they could make some sort of net to catch them in? Va looked around but couldn't see anything that could be used as a makeshift net. Which brought them all back to square one once again, Cao, Dun and Ren were looking at Yuan who was happily swinging on the branch dangerously.

"Here dragon, dragon!"

Shi was sitting on the tree branch giggling as Yuan kept calling out to the baby dragon, Ren looked over at the other tree and inquired.

"Is he calling that squirrel a dragon?"

They looked over at the other tree and there happily chattering away was in fact a squirrel Da looked at the two up in the tree before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"They think that it is a dragon."

Ren bit his lip to stop himself from laughing of all the things to happen, Va and An had no qualms with laughing as the two broke down into laughter Va being held up by An who had tears forming in her eyes. Despite just how serious and dangerous the situation was it was rather amusing to hear and see that they had in fact not chased a dragon into a tree but rather they had been chasing a squirrel, Dun looked murderous as he looked up at Yuan and glared darkly at him. Cao had amusement shining in his eyes as he looked up at the two that were in the tree, Da was shaking his head but a small smile played on his lips. Di walked towards the tree and looked up at it, he then looked at Da and An the latter was still laughing so hard that she had fallen to the ground along with Va who didn't have An to support her anymore. Dun had walked forwards to the tree as well, he looked at Di and the two placed their weapons down on the ground Di held out his hands in a cup shape in front of his legs. Dun placed one of his feet into the cup and Di boosted him up to the tree branch.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic things to do!"

Dun continued to mumble and rant as he climbed up to the next tree branch Yuan was going to get such a talking to for this! Really did his cousin just see the frog and lick it? Just what was he thinking?

Da had stood at the bottom of the tree along with Ren the two of them were giving both Di and An a boost up the tree as well while Cao stood a little way off, a smile playing on his face as he watched them all work together without any prompting or orders to do so. The worked like a veteran unit that had been together years rather than days, how delightful.

Once the two had reached the top Dun grabbed hold of Shi and swung him around so he was on his back, Shi gave a squeak of surprise and wrapped his arms and legs around Dun like a koala Di had done the same with Yuan except for the fact that Yuan was looking at the other tree with mourning on his face

"Bye Roku."

He would have waved if it wasn't for the fact that Di had a tight grip on him, the two began to climb down the tree with Da and Ren guiding them each step of the way.

"Put your foot there, then drop down onto the branch it's thick enough to support your weight."

Dun followed Da's suggestion as he dropped down onto the branch, the branch creaked in protest but there was no other movement. An was waiting at the bottom for them, she had moved the weapons out of the way and Va had made a foul smelling drink for the two of them. Ren looked up at Yuan who was grinning and humming he wanted to laugh but he knew he couldn't one wrong move and the two could go falling, and hurt themselves especially with how high they were. Ren walked around the back of the tree and looked at the branch that was next to the one that Yuan and Di were stood on.

"Can you reach that branch?"

Di nodded his head before reaching over towards the branch, Yuan clung on tighter as Di jumped off the branch and grabbed hold of the other one, dangling down.

"Drop down."

The duo dropped down as Dun had just reached the bottom, Dun let go of Shi and he fell to the grassy floor. He looked at Dun and pouted for a few seconds before falling back on to the grass and giggling, Dun glared at him and turned back towards the tree watching as Di and Yuan landed on branch closer to the ground, Yuan had began to wiggle and squirm the closer they got to the ground. Di fell off the branch due to Yuan's wiggling before they hit the ground Da and Ren had caught the two of them, Ren took Yuan off Di as Da helped him to the ground. An had began to check over Yuan making sure that he hadn't hurt himself when he had fallen.

"A few scraps nothing more."

Yuan blinked and Va who was looking at him a blonde eyebrow raised as he blurted out.

"Pretty."

Va looked at him and blinked several times as Yuan crawled over to Shi and fell on the ground with him the two laid there and giggled for no apparent reason, the group watched the two and shook their heads this was not how they had planned for their day to go at all. An grabbed hold of Shi and threw him over her shoulder while Da had done the same with Yuan, the group made their way back to the camp while Dun and Cao brought up the rear making sure that they weren't attacked with two of them in the state that they were. Once they had made it back to the camp Va looked at the two and smiled

"They will be back to normal soon."

Cao and Ren looked at the two who were rolling around on the grass, it had been funny to watch and hear but now it was getting slightly disturbing for them. After all Yuan had never acted this way before even when he had been drunk, he mostly just got cuddly and loved everyone and everything. Still he would be returning to normal soon which was a blessing for them and a curse for him as he would get teased mercilessly by them, Dun shook his head of all the thing for them to do and they still didn't know if the group would be joining them yet!

Va and An sat down to watch the two and make sure that they didn't do anything silly or stupid, Da grabbed a bow and took off into the nearby woods. With what had happened he needed to burn off some of the steam and adrenalin that was now pumping through his body, he needed to burn it off before he felt the need to fight.

Shi rolled around on the grass, grass getting into his white hair as sang

"Pretty butterfly!"

An turned her head away as she tried not to laugh at the sight of her brother like this, still it was nice to see him loosen up just not like this.

"Hungry."

They all turned and looked at Yuan who was slowly becoming more and more like himself, the same could be said about Shi as well. Yuan looked around at everyone and spotted Dun glaring darkly at him as if he wanted to kill him with his eyes alone.

"So er what happened?"

Va bit her bottom lip so hard that she nearly drew blood, she wanted to laugh but it wasn't the time or the place. Dun stalked forwards and grabbed hold of Yuan's ear as he snarled out.

"You went climbing up a tree! Then we had to get you down!"

Yuan winced as the grip of his ear got very tight, it would seem that Dun was severely pissed off or more than normal it was hard to tell with his cousin sometimes. Still he could feel his ear begin to throb in pain as Dun twisted it.

"Ow."

Dun's lips pulled back into a snarl and Yuan knew that he was going to get the talking of a life time, still it had been worth it from what he could remember. Yuan risked a glance at Shi who was getting scolded by Va, her hand on her lips as she prodded him in the chest. Once she was finished An had moved over to take her place she too was giving Shi a scolding that he wouldn't forget in a hurry.

Da had returned while An was scolding Shi a deer slung over his shoulder as he dropped it on the ground. Shi wouldn't be getting a scolding off him as both he and Di had done things far sillier and stupider than what both Yuan and Shi had done, so they really couldn't say anything.

Dun had let go of Yuan's ear while Ren had merely shook his head and made Yuan feel so guilty, Ren didn't have to say anything to make you feel disappointed he could do it with just a look. It was the same with Cao, although he looked more amused that disappointed. There was a light in his eyes, one that Yuan hadn't seen since they had been children, when they had been carefree and happy. But still it was nice to see Cao like this, like the way that he had been before.

Both Shi's and Yuan's stomachs made themselves known as they both growled in protest, Yuan merely rubbed his stomach while Shi blushed. Da shook his head as he looked at the two of them, thankfully he had skinned and gutted the deer while they had been getting scolded. So all they really needed to do was cook it or make it into a broth, they could do with a change from meat buns and with the knowledge that the siblings had between them they could come up with different meals for every day.

Once everyone had been fed, the camp had became lively as people relaxed and enjoyed themselves the sound of talking filled the came as wine and sake were passed around.

Shi looked over at his siblings that were in a intense debate about something, the way that An's eyes were set, Va's jaw was in a hard line and Di had crossed his arms over his chest even Da's remaining eye was set and his mouth set in a firm line, whatever it was they were arguing about it seemed big and important. Va looked over at him and waved him over, Shi stood up and walked over to where they were. He didn't even have time to sit down as they dragged him out of the camp and into the woods nearby.

But he hadn't been the only one watching the siblings, Cao Ren, Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan had been watching them as well. Ren looked at Cao and stated

"It looks like they are making their choice."

Dun nodded his head as he looked at the spot that they had been in not moments before.

"Either they are divided on whether or not to join us or it is something else that they are arguing about."

Yuan drank from his wine as he looked at Dun.

"They could be divided on whether or not to join us."

Cao looked at them they all had very valid points, points which they had pointed out. It was why he took their counsel more often than not, he trusted them, trusted them enough that they would keep him on the right path. Make sure that he wouldn't make any mistakes or cause problems where there shouldn't be.

"Indeed, we shall wait and see what it is first."

They all nodded, and went back to drinking their wine. But they couldn't help be anxious this could go one of two ways, the siblings didn't join them. Which would be a great loss for them or they could join them meaning that not only would they gain great fighters but their other talents as well, they all hoped that they would join them.

~~~~~~Woods near Wei camp~~~~~~

The clearing that they had found was small, but it was big enough for them to use. After all they were only here for one thing and one thing only.

"Do we join Cao Cao or not?"

Shi looked up at Va shocked, was this what they had been arguing about?

Shi wouldn't lie, he would like to join him not just because of Yuan or the character that the was. Even though Yuan was caring; kind, considerate and a good warrior nor was it the fact that he had licked frogs with him, it was because Shi could see himself sitting with Yuan and talking to him. Telling him things he didn't dare tell his siblings for fear that they over reacted.

"I say yes."

They looked at him, he could see the wheels in their heads turning as they tried to figure out just why he had said yes. Just why he wanted to join them, An looked at Da and nodded her head

"You already know I will be joining them."

Da pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And if this doesn't work out for us? If a few years down the line he is a tyrant? What then? We can't defect because our loyalty and morals won't allow us to!"

Va tilted her head to the side, blonde hair covering her face.

"Da does have a good point, we can't just defect should we find that he is not what he seems to be. The only ways that we would ever leave them would be if we were captured or killed. Neither of which looks very promising."

Both An and Shi felt their shoulders slump, they had thought about it time and time again. They knew the risks they had to, because if one joined then the others surely would as well, it was the way that they were. So they couldn't afford to make a mistake, not one that could go so horribly wrong for them. Not if it would cost innocent people their lives, they couldn't and wouldn't allow it. An looked at Da and saw the conflict in his eyes and posture, he wanted to join them but he and Di were playing voice of reason at the moment.

"What if we are wrong and we don't join them? What if they turn out to be the most kindest people that there is, should we really run that risk?"

They needed to think about everything, not just the bad but the good as well. Take in everything no matter how small it seemed, one mistake that was all that it took and they could be regretting it for the rest of their lives no matter how long or short it was.

Shi turned to Di, he had been quiet and not voicing his thoughts, normally he would be in the thick of the fighting and arguing. But this time? He was just stood there quiet and still, his arms crossed over his chest.

Va shook her head as Da and An continued to fight, they were both pointing out flaws and things that could go wrong. No matter how big or small it seemed, they were both intent on pointing it out to each other. Shi looked at Di and inquired

"Di? Your thoughts?

Di looked at them and sighed.

"Both Da and An have both got very reasonable points, but we are forgetting people. Dun's honour wouldn't allow him to serve someone who would become a tyrant, Yuan's morals and kindness allows him to see the light in things and he wouldn't follow a tyrant no matter who they are family or not. Ren is a strong man and a good one, you could see that in the way he looked after the troops. So would they allow Cao Cao to fall so far from his path?"

They mulled over his words, it was the most he had spoken since the argument had began, and they had been arguing over Cao Cao not the people that had been with him as well. Va looked at Da and said.

"Dun wouldn't serve someone who was a tyrant, we both know that. His character wouldn't allow him too."

Da and An both nodded their heads, Shi tilted his head to the side white hair falling over his shoulder.

"Yuan is too kind to allow any harm to come to an innocent."

They looked at Shi who smiled at them, he had said his piece he knew he was right. An and Da were still glaring darkly at each other they both knew that the others had points very valid ones, Da sighed and shook his head

"Ren wouldn't allow his troops or himself to become just mere tools or weapons."

An smiled, she had wanted to join since the beginning. It wasn't often that she would make a gamble like this, normally she would make sure that she had all the facts before she would even decided. But it looked like this time it would pay off.

"So we are all in agreement then?"

She looked at them all, she wanted to join to be able to sit down and eat something without having to watch her back. She wanted to be able to sleep on a bed not grass or up in a tree, call her selfish but she wanted to see just where it would all go, but she wouldn't risk her family. She never would not when they had been together through so much, if there had been enough points telling them not to join then she would of dropped it and moved on with them, never giving it another thought or second glance. Shi nodded his head, he like An wanted to see just where all of this would go. He wanted to see just what would happen, what relationships would be formed? Would they be married? Have children?

Questions that they didn't have the answers to, questions that they had all been asking themselves for years. But they had never had the chance to find out, but here and now?

They did and they knew that they would regret it if they didn't find out, if they hadn't taken the risk. But Shi like An would never risk his family, he would rather the world burn around him rather than one of them get hurt.

Va merely smiled as they walked back to the camp, she had a feeling that they would end up joining them. She had hoped that they would and she had been right, still it was something new for them she had no idea where the future would take them now. Which path they would all go down, but which ever one it was Va knew that they wouldn't regret it.

They had arrived back at the camp and found that nearly everyone had gone to bed and the fire had almost died out, except for one group Cao Cao, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. They were all still sat there, it was as if they were waiting for them to come back.

Da walked forwards and sat down on the grass in front of them, he wasn't going to run circles around them he preferred to be blunt and to the point.

"We have decided to join you."

There was no shock on their faces only a small amount of surprise, Cao looked at them all a small smile on his face. The smile itself look unused and his face didn't seem to be used to smiling.

"I had hoped that you would."

Da nodded and stood up the siblings clasped one fist in the other hand as they all said as one.

"Good night Lord Cao Cao."

With that they all walked away they one, Ren chuckled as he watched them walk away

"Things have just gotten a lot interesting now cousin."

Cao inclined his head

"Indeed Ren, indeed."

They sat underneath the stars wondering, just what would the future bring?


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note- This is co-written between me, ****DarkDragonessFliesEveryWhere and Rasean, This will contain OCs, slash, Yuri and heterosexual relationships. There is also blood, gore, death, injuries and other things that will be mentioned. **

**This is Dynasty Warriors not some romance novel, yes there will be romance but most of it is fighting. Ancient China was not a nice place, if you have played the games or even done your research then you will know this. If you choose to ignore everything that has been posted in the authors note then it is not our fault it is YOURS for not reading it. **

**Disclaimer- Don't own Dynasty warriors nor is any money made off this story. **

**Style names- **

**Guo Jia- Fèngxiào**

**Xiahou Dun- Yuánràng**

**Xiahou Yuan- Miàocái**

**Cao Cao- Mèngdé**

**Cao Ren- Zǐxiào**

* * *

Chapter 4

6 Months before Yellow turban Rebellion.

Days, weeks, months and years it had all flown by for had changed and they had changed, not enough that everyone could tell but those closest to them could tell that they had changed and in a good way. Still Da and Dun could be seen sparing every morning, Yuan and An would often be seen underneath the peach tree in the garden re-stringing their bows the two of them talking away quite happily as they did so, Shi andGuo Jia would often be seen in heated debate as the two strategists would each come up with different battle plans and scenarios to try and outdo the other.

"Fèngxiào I am telling you setting a base a light is easier than opening flood gates!"

Guo Jia shook his head, debating with Shi was very refeshing and he could offer insights and ideas that he wouldn't be able to get from other people.

"If there is a large body of water it could be used to flood bases and wipe out enemy forces without having to move! You would only need one person to open the flood gate that would be it, not only that it could prove to be the tipping point between winning and losing a battle."

Shi nodded his head, he would concede Jia this point it was a very valid. Their argument had been going on for sometime, the two of them often fighting over different strategies and this had been one in the very long list.

Still every time they fought people would stop what they were doing to watch them, the longest argument that they had was five days long. Both Shi and Jia had very valid points that they had pointed out to each other and neither was willing to admit defeat, Di had been missing for a few days and no one seemed to know just where the man was.

If he wasn't in the garden trying to bring it back to life, something that he enjoyed immensely he was saw in the blacksmiths talking to the elderly man. So for him to go away without telling them?

He was planning something they just didn't know what he was planning, they just hoped that it was something good and he wasn't planning a practical joke on them. Ren looked over at Jia and Shi who had once again launched into another argument, Cao was shaking his head smiling. Ren noticed that his cousin was smiling a lot more now, much more than what he used to do. He also seemed happier and more relaxed, but it wasn't just Cao Cao that was more relaxed everyone else seemed to have something similar happen to them.

Dun wasn't as serious all the time he would now unwind and join them for a few drinks, where before he wouldn't of done that he just would of snapped at them then went and sulked somewhere. They had a few laughs and most of the time they tried to stop each other from doing something stupid and silly other times they had to support each other back to the castle as none of them could walk by themselves.

Yuan had always been cheerful, fun loving and outgoing. But sometimes he would sit and quietly just watch the world go by, now he had a partner in crime An. When the two weren't having a contests to see who could hit the most bullseyes they would often be seen underneath the peace tree just watching everyone and everything neither of them would talk.

Even he, Ren had changed a lot more than he thought he would have, at one time he would train himself to the ground falling into his bed exhausted and bone tired now he had people that worried over his health. It wasn't to say that people didn't before it was most of them were too scared of him to do anything, but they weren't if Va even thought that he was pushing himself too hard he would often find himself knocked out cold and tied to his bed. He had learned that just because Va was small didnt mean that she couldn't hit hard.

Still he knew that everyone was glad that they had joined them, it had been difficult the first few months the siblings were willing to work with them and trust them to have their back but other than that?

They didn't not at first, it had taken nearly a year for anyone to learn anything about them. How Di in his spare time would work in the garden or at the forge, his love for creating new things and bringing life to things often kept him busy. Va had a love for reading if she wasn't in the library reading she would often be spotted wandering around town playing with the children, An would fix things for the troops and anyone that needed it from clothes to patching up dolls that were in dire need of repairs. An had even managed to save one of Cao Cao's travelling cloaks that had been with him for years, Shi while he could draw, paint and dance he couldn't sing to save his life. More often than not it was Da singing while Shi danced, while Da could sew it wasn't at the same level that An could, he had been teased about being able to sew by Dun until he had sewn Dun's fingers together while the man had been asleep. It had quickly put an end to the teasing, Dun had been furious for days at what Da had did and tried to get revenge only to fall flat each time, his clothes would go missing after he had bathed. Personal items would disappear for days only to come back later on covered in mud, or found buried in the garden or one time found in the kitchen in a cooking pot.

While they had not been able to find out just who had been doing it, it had been left alone.

~~~~~Di~~~~

Being sneaky was not his forte, at all. Heavy hitting? He could do that, breaking someone in half? He could do that as well, but sneaking around? Attempting to be quiet?

Di knew that he was falling terribly, but he didn't want anyone to find out just what he was doing, after all in a few months it would of been 5 years since they had joined Cao Cao and he wanted to do something nice for them, it was after all an anniversary of sorts for them.

He looked in his bag and nodded his head, he had everything now all he needed to do was get from here to his forge.

"Di."

He felt his heart jump as he spotted Dun walking towards him.

"Yuánràng, how are you?"

First thing about being sneaky? Dont let anyone know your up to something, which was very true in this case.

"Well, yourself?"

Why was he doing this again? Oh that's right! He didn't want Dun knowing that he had been planning something.

"I am well, I was just about to head over to the forge."

Di walked away, not noticing that Dun had narrowed his eyes at him as he walked away. Di quickly made his way over to the forge he needed time to do what he was going to do he only hoped that no one would interrupt him.

~~~~~Dun and Co~~~~~~

Dun had watched Di leave, he had acted normal and seemed normal. But he had been told that Di was not very good at being sneaky or hiding things at all, the bag that he had seen confirmed just what everyone else was thinking. Di was planning something.

Dun walked away he needed to find his cousin and the others to let them know that they had been right, he found them all sat underneath the peach tree in the garden that Di had been working on.

"Mèngdé it looks like everyone was right he is planning something."

Jia looked up from his game of Go that he was playing with Shi, the two played it as often as they fought which seemed to be very other day. Cao Cao had been watching them play.

"Oh? What makes you say that Yuánràng?"

Everyone looked at Dun, who had sat down on the grass next to Jia and Shi and made a move for Shi.

"I saw him not more than half an hour ago, he was carrying a bag and looking over his shoulder."

An hummed and moved a piece for Jia who huffed and snapped

"Are we playing the game or is everyone else joining in?"

Cao Ren chuckled as he moved another piece for Shi

"Don't mind if we do."

Jia threw his hands up in the air, but there was a smile playing on his lips as he did so. Cao Cao chuckled as he moved a piece, Da nodded his head and he too made a move. Soon it had changed from a game between juts Lee Shi and Guo Jia to a game between all of them, each taking their own move trying to outwit the other. The sound of cursing caused them all to look up.

"Ow fuck!"

Da looked over to where the forge was and shook his head

"If he told us what he was doing we would be able to help."

Va snorted and shook her head, the flowers that An had braided into her hair falling out.

"You know brother."

They all nodded at that, they did know him. Still just what was he doing? Da looked over at the forge and smiled when he saw Di leave it, he stood up and began walking over to the forge as An hissed

"What are you doing?"

Da didn't look at them as he continued to walk to the forge that Di had left not even moments before.

"Finding out just what it is he is up too."

They all looked at each other it would be the perfect time to find out just what it was he was up to, and if they didn't touch anything then Di wouldn't know that they had been there snooping around. Ren looked at them and shook his head, while he did want to know someone would need to keep watch.

"I'll stay here and keep look out."

They all nodded their heads, they quickly set off towards the forge while Ren made sure that Di didn't catch any of them.

When they got to the forge there were designs everywhere, stuck to the walls some where even on the floor. It looked like a complete and utter mess, Va scowled

"How hasn't this place set alight yet?"

None of them could answer that, just how was it that it hadn't been set alight? Dun looked around and found a piece of paper with his name on it.

_Xiahou Dun_

_Possible greatsword due to upper body strength, or a padao either would be good. But the padao has more of a swing to it meaning he would be able to hit more enemies at once. Need further research._

He looked at another piece of paper and saw Yuan's name on it this time.

_Xiahou Yuan _

_Can easily use bows and go head to head with An, need to design a bow for him. Also need to create a set of throwing knives for him should he ever be cornered and unable to use his bow. It would also be possible for him to use a mace._

This was information on possible weapons, but there wasn't just papers on him and Yuan there was a paper for each of them detailing the different weapons that they could use. He looked down and saw the paper stuck to his foot, Di was going to kill himself!

_Cao Ren _

_The man is built like a rock, a shield and new armor for the man are needed. Saw a crack in his armor the other day whoever made it was either blind or just stupid. Need to get the materials needed to make new armor for him, his shield as well. _

Just what was going on? Da was reading the paper over Dun's shoulder normally he would snap at him but he was confused, Shi pointed to the calendar on the wall.

"The date is circled several times."

They looked at the calendar and saw that they date had been circled several times, the ring was thick and dark a startling contrast to the white calender that it was on.

"Di! Are you well?"

The froze when they heard Ren greet Di, it looked like they didn't have any more time to examine just what it was he was doing.

"Zǐxiào, I am well why do you ask?"

They moved quickly they didn't want to be caught, it wouldn't do for Di to learn that they had been snooping around his forge. Not when they didn't know just what he was planning or doing.

"I heard you curse, and was wondering if you were alright."

Bless Cao Ren, he was making something up on the spot for them. He was giving them time to make a quick getaway.

"I just hit my hand with my hammer, nothing too serious as I have been told. Just some bruising."

They left the forge and made their way around the back of it, just in time to see Di and Ren move away from the forge. It looked like they were safe for now, still they needed to get away from the forge quickly.

"Have you had someone look at it?"

Cao Cao made a mental note to buy Cao Ren a drink when this was all over, really his cousin was a blessing at the moment. Not only was he covering for them he was giving them time to get away. Di looked at Ren a small frown playing on his lips as he pressed the back of his hand to Ren's head.

"Are you feeling well? You seem flushed, you asked me that question not more than a minute ago Ren."

Ren mentally cursed, he hadn't meant to slip up like that he really hadn't. Still it had happened and he really didn't have any way to take it back.

"Just the heat, that's all."

Di nodded his head before he gently grabbed Ren's arm and dragged him off.

"Lets get you inside and cooled off."

The rest of the group peered around the corner and snickered at the glare that Ren had sent them, still they would honour what he had done for them. After all no one wanted to put up with Di when he was in mother hen mode, Jia and She went back to their game of Go while An and Yuan were still snickering about Ren getting dragged off by Di. Dun and looked at Da

"Spar?"

Da nodded his head and grabbed his halberd and swung it around a few times before savagely grinning at Dun. The two never passed up the chance to spar no matter what the weather was or how tired they were it just simply wasn't done, come hail, sleet or snow the two of them would be caught sparring or training, it often drove them a little crazy because it was all the two seemed to talk about.

At least Da and Dun were making an effort to get along and not simply picking fights to see who was the better fighter and who had the bigger sword or who could kill the most. That had happened a lot during the first few months that they had lived with them, still they had somewhat settled down. Ren came out of the castle looking a little worse for wear as he snarled

"You owe me!"

They shared a look with one and other, Ren looked as if he had been dumped into several large ice baths or thrown into a semi frozen lake naked. It was quite hard to tell, still he sat down and cast them all dark glares while he kept shivering every so often despite the heat and the sun. His jet black hair was still dripping with water as some made it way down the back of his neck and down his back. Still Ren acted like a child as he sat on the grass and refused to look at any of them, he had his back turned to them as Jai and Shi cheered both Dun and Da on, the two of them pointing out flaws as Dun went to swing for Da.

"Dun left his left side open and didn't bother to keep it protected, if this had been a battle he would of been killed."

"True but in a battle Dun would have Da looking out for him meaning that Da would have covered his left side, meaning that no one would be able to get an attack in as Da would of cut them down."

Jai looked at Ren who was still sulking by the looks of things, he could understand the others plight and anger. He too had been on the receiving end of Di's mothering and it had made him want to kill someone, or grab hold of Di and throw him off a very large cliff and hope that he died. But Cao Cao had a no killing fellow generals and members rule, so even if he wanted to (which he really did) he couldn't do it!

Cao Cao watched as Da he his arms in a cross shape and took the full force of Dun's kick that should've connected to his chest, but Da had managed to block it and repel Dun's attack. It was fascinating to watch any of the siblings fight, they used tactics that were not seen before things that they had learned in different lands. He shuddered to think just what they would be like had they not been on their side and chosen to go and join someone else, they would have made very formidable enemies, however here and now they were not their enemies but rather allies and friends, despite the very rocky start that they had started with.

Still it was rare for them to fight or even argue with Shi and Jia acting as mediators, and pointing out both sides of the arguments before they had even began which would lead to everyone teaming up against the two of them more often than not despite that fact that they had been trying to help them.

"Da should teach Dun some of them moves."

Shi tilted his head to the side as he looked at Va.

"Do you think so?"

An came up behind the two of them and laid a warm hand onto their shoulders as she nodded her head.

"Dun could use the moves and it would give him and Da something to bond over as well, not just all the spars that they keep having."

It was a very valid point and one that they had not thought about, Ren came up and sat beside Cao Cao was who was watching the fight with amusement.

"They do seem to be sparing with each other more often than not lately."

They nodded their heads as they watched Da throw Dun over his shoulder like a sack of flour, they winced when Dun hit the ground and created a very small crater from the impact. You would think that with the way the two were fighting they were not sparing but rather fighting for their lives, still something's wouldn't change overnight. Hopefully with time Dun and Da wouldn't spar as much, but that was something that remained to be seen.


End file.
